


The Christmas Shoes

by her_imperius_condessy



Category: The Monkees (TV)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Gen, stupid Christmas Shoes song
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-21
Updated: 2013-12-21
Packaged: 2018-01-05 11:07:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1093170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/her_imperius_condessy/pseuds/her_imperius_condessy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peter recalls a Christmas from long ago. </p>
<p>I wrote this years and years ago, and found it on my hardrive. Just in time for the holiday.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Christmas Shoes

The Christmas Shoes

1958

Peter stood impatiently in the line at Macy’s, waiting his turn. He had waited again until the last minute to do the shopping and now he was trying frantically to get all his presents before the stores closed.

As he stood there, he watched the other shoppers arguing over prices and who grabbed that toy first. A baby in the line beside him was wailing loudly. The lady at the register was yelling at the cashier over the pile of coupons that she had brought. Peter sighed heavily; have a holly jolly Christmas indeed. Had anyone asked him at that moment, Peter would have said he hated the holiday.

Finally, the line moved up; the coupon lady had snatched up her pile of papers and had stormed out of the store.

The next person in line was a boy near Peter’s age; he was a little taller, had black hair, and was carrying a pair of sparkly green shoes and a very tatty looking pillowcase. He set the shoes on the counter and the cashier crinkled her nose at the pillowcase as she scanned the price tag.

“Thirty-five seventy-six, please.”

Peter could see the other boy stiffen, but then he began to pull coins out of the pillowcase; quarters and dimes at first, but around thirteen sixty he moved to nickels and pennies.

“Twenty-one ninety-five….twenty two…..twenty-two five….”

Peter sighed again, trying to not get too impatient. He checked his watch; he still had an hour to catch a bus back home. The conversation in front of him caught his attention again.

“….But that is all I have….”

“I’m sorry. If it was only a couple of dollars, I could do it but over ten…..”

The boy turned around to Peter.

“They’re for my Ma. She’s sick, you see. The doctors don’t know what’s wrong, not even these specialists in the city. They don’t know how much longer she has, she’s so sick….”

The boy swallowed and looked down at the floor. “She always made Christmas good for us….four kids and dad hasn’t been around for years….I could never get her much for Christmas. I’ve been picking up cans all day. She should get one nice present before….” The boy choked a little and stopped.

Peter pulled the money out and set it on the counter. “There you go.”

The cashier smiled and handed the shoes to the boy. He thanked her and then turned back to Peter. “If you tell me where you live, I’ll send you the money back….”

Peter smiled and shook his head. “Forget about it.”

The boy grinned back, shook his hand and rushed out the door.

****

Peter got off the bus in Connecticut, arms full of bags, and he began to make his way home. Night had just fallen and the stars were beginning to shine.

Peter could remember the game he had used to play with his cousins; on Christmas Eve, they would all make a wish on the Christmas star, and the present that they wished for would be the one that Santa was most likely to bring them.

Even though Peter no longer believed in Santa, he still paused before going inside the house, turning to face the star.

‘I wish that that kid’s mom is alright’. And he went inside.

****

1968

Mike and Peter had gone to the shopping mall to get their Christmas shopping done together. The four Monkees had learned to do this in pairs after a couple of years of someone getting two or three of the same presents.

Mike was looking at the shoes while Peter was bouncing around the toy section. He accidentally turned down the wrong row and was now looking at woman’s dress shoes. Mike rolled his eyes and turned around, but a pair of shoes caught his attention. A pair of sparkly green Christmas shoes, just like the ones he had bought his mom all those years ago. He picked one up and looked at it.

“I don’t think it’ll fit, Michael.”

Mike jumped; Peter had snuck up on him.

“Ha ha. I was just looking. These look like a pair of shoes I got for my mom a few years back….”

Peter glanced at the shoes and frowned. “How many years?”

He shrugged and put the shoe down. “Ten, I think. She was bad sick so we went to New York to see some specialists. I went to Macy’s and got her those shoes for Christmas.”

Peter looked strange. “But your mom is fine….”

“Yeah. She recovered. They didn’t know why or how. Everyone called it a Christmas miracle.” Mike frowned. “Why do you ask?”

Peter shook his head. “No reason,” he said, and he went off to look at something else.

****

Christmas dawned and found the Monkees’ Pad strewn with bright paper. The Monkees in question were excitedly opening their presents.

Peter went to open a gift from Mike; a book that he had been wanting for a while. As he opened it, an envelope fell out. Peter opened it next and pulled a note out. Unfolding it revealed twelve dollars.

‘Ten years later, here’s your money back good buddy.’

 


End file.
